Crowfoot, Lewis, Nelson and Kim named to LA Superior Court

Bill Crowfoot, the first person to represent a City Council district created to give greater voting opportunities to the city’s Latino population, was appointed to the Superior Court bench last week.

Along with Crowfoot, Gov. Jerry Brown also appointed Terrance Lewis and Jean Nelson, both of Altadena, and Michelle Kim of South Pasadena to serve as Los Angeles County judges.

Crowfoot — who is white but grew up in Puerto Rico and speaks Spanish fluently — served on the City Council from 1993 to 2001.

During a heated exchange over a controversial development project late into the council’s April 28, 1998 meeting, Crowfoot looked across the horseshoe dais and told Paparian to “just shut the f–k up.”

Although he apologized, the remark cost Crowfoot his turn at being mayor, a position that council members at the time rotated into.

Crowfoot said he was being goaded by Paparian to react to questions described in the Pasadena Weekly at the time as having “a certain edge.”

“I want to make sure all the facts are out on the table from the beginning,” Crowfoot said after the meeting. “I apologize to the community for losing my temper with Mr. Paparian, but at some point, you have to draw the line and say, ‘I’m not going to put up with that kind of outrageous diversion.’”

Since 2003, Crowfoot has served as an Assistant US Attorney in Los Angeles. He also served as a senior associate with Paul Hastings LLP from 1997 to 2001. He was an associate there from 1987 to 1995. Crowfoot was a bilingual education teacher at Blair High School from 1995 to 1997.

“Each of these individuals has extensive experience that will enable them to be effective in these important positions. Having served on the Pasadena City Council with William Crowfoot, I can personally attest to his qualifications,” said Assemblyman and former Pasadena Councilman Chris Holden.

Kim has served as a Los Angeles County alternate deputy public defender since 2005.

Lewis has served as a commissioner with the Los Angeles County Superior Court since 2014. He served as a county public defender from 1988 to 2014.

Nelson has been a partner at Scheper Kim and Harris LLP since 2008. She served as an assistant US attorney in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2006.